Animals: Imports

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on the screening of imported wildlife for potential diseases in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Animals and animal products are imported from EU member states and from third countries approved as having equivalent animal health status to an EU member state for the species in question. Strict EU rules are imposed to prevent disease entering the European Community.
	As soon as an animal is captured and transported it becomes a 'kept animal' and therefore animal health import legislation applies. This includes ensuring a veterinary health check is undertaken within the 24 hour period prior to loading at the country of origin in order to determine that no clinical signs of disease are present—the cost is met by the importer. An animal cannot travel to this country unless accompanied by a valid veterinary health certificate. Live animals imported from approved third countries must enter at a designated Border Inspection Post (BIP) where they are again subject to veterinary inspections for clinical signs of disease and the accompanying health certificates are verified. However, Animal Health does not keep a record of the individual costs for imported animals tested as part of its disease prevention measures.
	When there is a significant increase in disease risk, DEFRA's Global Animal Health Division will act quickly to mitigate it, usually in concert with the EU. DEFRA may take unilateral safeguard measures to block legal imports from countries or regions with outbreaks of disease. Recent imports of animals which might present a risk would also be traced and checked.
	DEFRA also carries out international disease surveillance work and takes emergency safeguard action to restrict or ban imports from countries that have reported an outbreak of disease.

Biofuels

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward proposals to expand the categories of used cooking oil which may be classified as fuel under the proposed end-of-waste protocol.

Jane Kennedy: In October 2007, the Environment Agency issued for public consultation a draft end-of-waste protocol for "biodiesel derived from waste vegetable oil". Following consideration by the Agency of the responses to that consultation, the terms of the protocol were expanded to cover "the production and use of biodiesel derived from waste cooking oil and rendered animal fat". On this basis, a post-consultation draft of the protocol was notified to the European Commission under the Technical Standards Directive (98/34/EC). The notification period required under the directive has now ended and the Agency proposes to publish the final protocol in the next few weeks; and to review the published protocol in June 2011. In the meantime, the Agency has no plans further to expand the categories of waste covered by the protocol.

Economic and Monetary Union

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what activities have been undertaken by his Department's Euro Minister in that capacity.

Jane Kennedy: Euro Ministers are responsible for euro preparations in their Department and attend Euro Ministers Steering Group meetings. Meetings are held only when necessary to discuss practical preparations to ensure a smooth changeover.

Farming: Pigs

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has  (a) undertaken and  (b) commissioned research on the effect in (i) England and (ii) elsewhere of intensive pig farming on developments in swine influenza.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA is currently funding research at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency looking at cross species transmission of influenza viruses. This work has been ongoing for a number of years. While this research is not specifically focused on the effects of intensive farming, it seeks to give us a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in cross species transmission and hence to better understand the risks.
	DEFRA funds a surveillance programme for swine influenza in England and Wales. This is delivered by Veterinary Laboratories Agency and has been in operation since 1991. Private veterinary practitioners can submit samples for swine influenza testing in cases where this disease is suspected. This testing is performed free of charge. Under this programme, samples are tested from pig herds from various types of production system. If virus is isolated from a sample, further genetic analysis is performed to determine if there is any evidence that the virus may be genetically different from commonly seen swine influenza viruses in the UK. In addition, a random subset of influenza viruses is subjected to further genetic analysis. The aim of the programme is to identify any unusual changes in swine influenza viruses and to monitor the natural evolution of the virus over time.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance  (a) his Department,  (b) the Waste Improvement Network and  (c) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has issued on fixed penalty notices in relation to (i) closed lid policies, (ii) no side waste collection policies and (iii) putting household waste out at the wrong time.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA has not provided any guidance on the use of fixed penalty notices other than what is available on its website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/localenv/legislation/cnea/fixed-penalty-guidance.pdf
	This does not refer to (i) closed lid policies, (ii) no side waste collection policies and (iii) putting household rubbish out at the wrong time.
	Neither the Waste Improvement Network (WIN) nor the Waste and Resources Action Programme have issued any such guidance.

Zoos: EU Law

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the  (a) financial and  (b) other effects on zoos of EU regulations banning feeding of necrophagous birds with category one material; and if he will seek an opt-out from the regulations.

Jane Kennedy: No assessment of the financial and other effects on zoos of banning the feeding of necrophagous birds with category one material has been made. The EU Animal by-products regulation 1774/2002/EC only permits the feeding of category one material to endangered or protected species of necrophagous birds and other species living in their natural habitat, for the promotion of biodiversity. However, it does permit member states to authorise the feeding of animal by-products which do not contain specified risk material and other category one animal by-products to birds of prey and other carnivorous animals in zoos. The UK exercises this derogation.
	The European Council and Parliament are likely to shortly agree amendments to the regulation which, among other things, would allow member states to permit feeding of certain category one material to necrophagous birds and other carnivorous animals in zoos. The UK would be looking to take advantage of such a provision and understands that after the amended regulation is agreed, work will commence on laying down implementing rules in Brussels which would permit such feeding while ensuring protection of animal and public health.
	A derogation to permit the feeding of fallen stock to necrophagous birds is available to Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal and France as part of approved conservation measures for vultures. This derogation is not available in the UK. We understand that the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is content with the existing arrangement of the feeding of category 2 and 3 material (ie butchers' waste) to wild necrophagous birds and that a derogation to permit the use of ruminant fallen stock as feed material is not, therefore, necessary.

Airports: Security

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what standard security checks are operated at British airports for  (a) economy class passengers,  (b) business class passengers,  (c) first-class passengers,  (d) very important persons,  (e) Ministers,  (f) the Prime Minister,  (g) ministers of foreign governments,  (h) foreign heads of governments and  (i) foreign heads of state.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport is responsible for drafting UK aviation security regulations which are served on regulated airports within the UK in the form of Directions. The Department operates a multi-layered approach to security that is proportionate to and commensurate with the threat we are seeking to mitigate against. The primary objective is to protect the travelling public and, in respect of searching individuals, to ensure that prohibited articles are not transported onto aircraft. Airports and airlines are responsible for implementing the security regulations and the Department operates a compliance regime that inspects and where necessary enforces the standards required.
	All passengers, including flight crew, staff, Ministers of the Government and Ministers of foreign governments, regardless of class of travel, are subject to the following standard security procedures: identity check, access controls, security questions, 100 per cent. screening of hold and cabin baggage and 100 per cent. screening of the individual, where necessary enhanced via a hand search and additional technological enhancements.
	In line with international protocols, and the UK's international commitments in this respect, a relatively small number of individuals in recognised positions are exempt from these screening procedures. This is in part a reflection of the degree to which security, in various forms, accompanies such posts or individuals.
	You will appreciate that for obvious security reasons it is not possible for me to specifically detail the posts, incumbents and security measures that apply in these cases.
	I can assure you that TRANSEC and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) hold a 'Restricted'—'Closed' list of persons that are exempt, or may be deemed as an exempted person, for the purpose of aviation security screening and that this list is subject to periodical review.

Departmental Security

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many breaches of security have been reported at  (a) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency,  (b) the Driving Standards Agency,  (c) the Government Car and Despatch Agency,  (d) the Highways Agency,  (e) the Maritime and Coastguard Agency,  (f) the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency and  (g) the Vehicle Certification Agency in the last five years; and what procedures each agency follows when a breach of security involves the disclosure of personal data.

Geoff Hoon: Information on breaches of security for the last five years for Department for Transport Agencies is not held centrally.
	The Department and its agencies report all significant personal data security breaches to the Cabinet Office and the ICO. Information on personal data security breaches are published on an annual basis in the Department's annual resource accounts as was announced in the Data Handling Review published on 25 June 2008.
	Additionally, all significant control weaknesses including other significant security breaches are included in the Statement of Internal Control which is published within the annual resource accounts.

Railways: Scotland

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2009,  Official Report, column 881W, on a London-Scotland high-speed rail link, what topics were discussed during the meeting on 24 April 2009; and whether any decisions on funding methodology for high-speed rail links were made at that meeting.

Paul Clark: There was a general discussion about the potential benefits of high speed rail, including environmental considerations; the possibility of modal shift; economic priorities; and the consideration of the Scottish Government's views as work is taken forward.
	It was noted there is still a great deal of work to be done in developing a business case and identifying funding solutions, and the Scottish Executive was encouraged to engage with "High Speed Two" as this work commences.

Roads: Construction

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which road building programmes completed in each year since 2005 have affected areas of outstanding natural beauty and sites of special scientific interest.

Paul Clark: I have today placed in the Libraries of the House tables identifying major road schemes, costing over £5 million, completed by local highway authorities and the Highways Agency since 2005 and where the scheme has affected (1) Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and (2) Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Radioactive Fallout

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether the proposed Amendment to Schedule 5 of the Government of Wales Act 2006, as set out in the proposed Legislative Competence (Environment) Order 2009, Cm 7608, will cover land-based radioactive fallout other than at military sites.

Paul Murphy: It would enable the National Assembly to legislate on radioactivity in these areas with certain exceptions. The exceptions relate to nuclear energy and nuclear installations, including nuclear safety and liability for nuclear occurrences, (other than the disposal of very low level radioactive waste moved from nuclear licensed sites) and the transport of radioactive material.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister who the members of the Special Advisers' Remuneration Committee are; what specialist qualifications each holds; when each was appointed and by whom; where the committee holds its meetings; what the budget of the Committee is for  (a) office accommodation,  (b) staff costs and  (c) travel and subsistence in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: The Special Advisers' Remuneration Committee has existed in its current form since 2001. It is chaired by the Leader of the House of Lords, and has as its members a HM Treasury Minister, a Cabinet Office Minister, and a senior Cabinet Office official acting as an Accounting Officer. The Remuneration Committee meetings are held on the Government Estate. The Remuneration Committee incurs no accommodation, travel or subsistence costs. Support, including expertise on remuneration issues, is provided from existing resources within the Cabinet Office.

Business: Government Assistance

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Capital Enterprise Scheme began to operate.

Ian Pearson: The Capital for Enterprise Fund was launched on 14 January 2009, when a registration helpline was set up to manage inquiries and register applications.

Business: South West

Gary Streeter: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assistance the South West of England Regional Development Agency is providing to small and medium-sized businesses in the South West region during the recession; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The South West Regional Development Agency's activity to support SMEs during the recession involves two key strands:
	 1. Strategic Leadership
	The South West RDA is an integral part of the South West Regional Economic Task Group (RETG), chaired by the Regional Minister for the South West, which is responsible for coordinating the region's overall response to the recession. It leads on work strands focusing on business support, skills and employment, and green economic recovery.
	In December 2008 the RDA established a Regional Business Forum to enable regular dialogue with key business representative organisations in the region. It acts as a sounding board for new plans and initiatives and provides business a voice to help shape policy development.
	Through its management of South West EU programmes, the RDA is ensuring that over £1 billion of EU and domestic investment from 2007 to 2013 is being targeted at improving the productivity of small and medium-sized businesses in the South West.
	 2. Support for Business
	The RDA has been working to enhance the support already available through the Government's Solutions For Business services provided via the Business Link network. Since October 2008, Business Link has provided over 4,350 free Business Health Checks to local SMEs, and developed a Business Survival Guide to help small businesses cope with the downturn and prepare for recovery.
	On 14 April the RDA launched its £10 million business loan fund which offers viable businesses with growth potential loans of up to £250,000. This augments the financial support available through the Government's Real Help for Business support package launched earlier this year.
	The RDA organised eight workshops in April and May which provided 500 businesses in the region with advice, guidance and networking opportunities.
	In November 2008 the RDA established eight Area Action Forces across the region to coordinate the public sector response to individual businesses in difficulty.

Departmental Telephone Services

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the average waiting time callers to his Department's telephone help lines was in the latest period for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: In the last three months the Inquiry Unit received 28,316 calls. 97 per cent. of these calls were answered within 15 seconds.

Non-Profit Making Associations

Margaret Moran: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of support provided to social enterprise by regional development agencies.

Patrick McFadden: The RDAs produce corporate plans setting out corporate objectives and expenditure plans across all major activities including social enterprise. Progress against these plans are subsequently reviewed and reported in the RDA's annual report and accounts. RDAs are also required to undertake impact evaluations of their major projects. That work was recently collected together in a report"Impact of RDA Spending" carried out on the Department's behalf by PriceWaterhouseCoopers which provided an overall assessment of RDAs effectiveness. The report concluded that RDA expenditure produced economic benefits in all regions.
	The Office of the Third Sector's Social Enterprise Action Plan announced £5.9 million for the regional development agencies to March 2011 to improve social enterprise support via Business Link. A formal evaluation of the programme by the Office of the Third Sector has begun, with BERR involvement, and will provide a mechanism to share results across the country, with central Government and with the sector. A draft report on the early stages of the programme is currently being considered by OTS, BERR, the RDAs and a group of social enterprise experts.

Regional Planning and Development

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much funding each regional development agency plans to give to each regional design panel in 2009-10.

Patrick McFadden: The following table shows RDA proposed funding for Regional Design Panels in 2009-10.
	
		
			  RDA  Proposed funding for regional design panel in 2009-10 (£000) 
			 AWM 0 
			 EEDA 100 
			 EMDA 113 
			 LDA 15 
			 NWDA 142 
			 ONE 0 
			 SEEDA 72 
			 SWERDA 0 
			 YF 0

Royal Mail

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether Deutsche Poste has informed him of the reasons for which it decided not to seek a stake in the Royal Mail.

Patrick McFadden: Deutsche Post's decision in relation to a partnership with Royal Mail Group Limited is a matter for them.

Cayman Islands: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the cost of reconstruction required in the Cayman Islands following Hurricane Paloma.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) continues to monitor the situation through the Governor's Office and the Cayman Islands Hazard Management agency.
	In April the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean submitted their detailed study of economic damage and losses to the Cayman Islands Government. This indicates that the cost of reconstruction, based on replacement costs for direct damage caused by Hurricane Paloma, to be US$124.5 million, or 7.4 per cent. of gross domestic product. DFID provided support for this study.
	On 15 May, the Governor visited Cayman Brae, finding that all critical facilities are functioning, including Government buildings, schools and hospitals. Housing repair is well under way and is a priority.

Public Libraries

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to ensure that there is a comprehensive and efficient library service in  (a) Wirral and  (b) England.

Barbara Follett: Local authorities have a duty under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 to provide a "comprehensive and efficient" library service. On 3 April 2009, the Secretary of State announced his intention to use his powers under the Act to hold an inquiry to test whether the Wirral MBC's plans for its library service, arising from its strategic asset review, are consistent with their statutory duties. If the council is found to have fallen short of these duties, the inquiry will recommend the actions necessary to rectify that breach. The inquiry has now been launched and will report in due course.
	In considering the findings of both the Wirral inquiry and the DCMS Library Service Modernisation (which will determine the Government's vision for a modern, world-class public library service and set out some of the necessary steps to support all local authorities in providing continuously improving, excellent, library services) the Secretary of State will consider what further guidance is needed by local authorities on the interpretation of "comprehensive and efficient".

CLM

Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much CLM have been paid since its appointment as an Olympic contractor; and how much it is expected to be paid over the duration of the contract.

Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has engaged the Delivery Partner, CLM, to provide world class programme and project management expertise across the ODA's programme.
	Details of payments to CLM are published annually in the ODA annual report and accounts. For the last two years the figures were:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2006-07 18.1 
			 2007-08 87.6 
		
	
	The next ODA annual report is due to be published in July 2009 and will include the Delivery Partner payment for the financial year 2008-09.
	The overall amount expected to be paid to CLM is commercially confidential and will vary depending on a number of factors including performance and scope of work undertaken.

Olympic Games 2012: Finance

Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many organisations at  (a) national,  (b) regional and  (c) local level are receiving Olympic legacy funding; and how much has been disbursed at each level in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tessa Jowell: The Legacy Trust UK (LTUK) was established to support a wide range of innovative cultural and sporting projects, which celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and leave a lasting legacy in communities throughout the United Kingdom. The trust was established using a £40 million endowment from the Big Lottery Fund, the Arts Council England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	Since its inception LTUK has awarded a total of £30 million in grants. £6 million has been committed for the staging of the UK School Games, which are run by the Youth Sports Trust, between 2008 and 2011.
	Some £24 million has been committed to 12 nations' and regions' organisations to run various cultural projects as follows:
	
		
			  Nation/region  £  million 
			 North West 3.02 
			 North East 1.53 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 2.24 
			 West Midlands 2.2 
			 East Midlands 1.61 
			 East of England 1.51 
			 South West 1.61 
			 South East 1.923 
			 London 2.89 
			 Wales 1.67 
			 Scotland 2.57 
			 Northern Ireland 1.31 
			 Total 24.083 
		
	
	For a nation or region to receive a grant from LTUK, strict funding criteria have been applied, including a requirement to set up an advisory group, made up of a range of sporting and cultural organisations, which is responsible for the managing and distribution of the money within that region.
	The LTUK are currently finalising their plans for the remaining funds to support three more national initiatives, with announcements expected shortly.

Eyesight: Testing

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many practising optometrists have been trained to identify  (a) low vision conditions and  (b) early stage vision deterioration.

Ann Keen: As part of their training and professional qualifying examinations, all optometrists are expected to be able to identify the signs of conditions, which could give rise to vision loss, and might be amenable to remediation, and the early stages of vision deterioration.

Healthcare Commission: Complaints

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints the Healthcare Commission has  (a) received and  (b) resolved in each year since its inception; what the average cost of processing such complaints has been to date; how many staff were employed by the Commission to handle complaints in each year; and what expenditure the Commission incurred on complaints handling in each such year.

Ann Keen: The Care Quality Commission, took over from the Healthcare Commission on 1 April 2009. At the same time, the previous three-stage national health service complaints procedure (local resolution, Healthcare Commission, health service ombudsman) was replaced by a two stage process (local resolution. health service ombudsman). The Healthcare Commission's complaints handling functions (including information and staffing) have therefore not been transferred to CQC.
	The number of complaints received and reviewed up to 31 July 2008 is available from the Healthcare Commission's three reports "Spotlight on Complaints—A report on second-stage complaints about the NHS in England" published in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
	From July 2004 to July 2006—16,130 requests for review were received. In the same period, 10,950 reviews were completed.
	From August 2006 to July 2007—7,500 requests for review were received. In the same period, 10,366 reviews were completed.
	From August 2007 to 31 July 2008—7,827 requests for review were received. In the same period, 8,949 reviews were completed.
	In the 2007 Spotlight on Complaints report the Healthcare Commission published figures on staffing, related to the period July 2004 to July 2006. During this time the number of staff dealing with cases increased from 21 to more than 150.
	According to the Healthcare Commission annual report and accounts 2007-08, the net operating cost of the Commission's complaints handling function in 2007-08 was £9.6 million; compared to £9.8 million in 2006-07. However, given that the handling and resolution of complaints also draws on resources from elsewhere in the Commission, it is not possible to calculate accurately the full average cost of handling each complaint.

NHS: Standards

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on England's position among Western European states for  (a) prevalence and  (b) treatment standards for (i) heart, (ii) kidney disease and  (c) stroke; and what plans he has to improve this ranking over the next 10 years.

Ann Keen: Data from the 2006 Health Survey for England suggest the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in England was 6.5 per cent. in men and 4.0 per cent. in women. Prevalence rates increase with age, with more than one in three men and around one in four women aged 75 and over living with CHD.
	Overall we estimate that there are just over 1.1 million men living in the United Kingdom who have had angina and around 970,000 who have had a heart attack and around 850,000 women who have had angina and around 439,000 who have had a heart attack. Combined these estimates suggest that 2.1 million men and 1.3 million women, around 3.4 million adults, in the UK reporting angina and/or a heart attack. This is likely to be an overestimate as those suffering angina are not an independent group to those suffering from a heart attack.
	Comparable data on prevalence of the cardiovascular diseases are difficult to access. At present there is no routinely updated source of Europe-wide data.
	With regards to plans for tackling heart disease, the Department is commissioning an external review of the implementation and delivery of the Coronary Heart Disease National Service Framework. We are also undertaking an analysis of the trends in the burden of cardiac disease including patient expectations and needs, technology and working practices and how these are likely to affect future demand and patterns of service provision.
	We understand that a report on Access to Cardiac Care in the UK commissioned by the Cardio and Vascular Coalition, the British Heart Foundation and the British Cardiovascular Society was launched on 2 June 2009, which includes some comparison with other European countries. This will be a helpful contribution to our work on future needs.
	The Department contributed information to the Euro Consumer Heart Index in 2008, which provides comparisons between European countries across a number of indicators including access to treatment, prevention, national guidelines and outcomes. In this index, the UK ranked 9 out of 29 European countries. No separate score was available for England.
	The number of people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is not accurately known, because a lack of symptoms in the early stages means it often remains undiagnosed. However, a survey of blood samples in South East England in 2000-01 indicated the prevalence of CKD to be 5,554 per million population. Also the introduction of CKD into the Quality and Outcomes Framework has determined that there are 1.5 million people with CKD stages 3-5 (5 being established as renal failure).
	Part 1 of the National Service Framework for Renal Services, published in January 2004, sets five standards and identifies 30 markers of good practice in the areas of dialysis and transplantation, aimed at improving fairness of access, patient choice about the type of treatment they receive and reducing variation in the quality of dialysis and kidney transplant services. These standards and markers of good practice will help the national health service and its partners manage the increasing demand for renal services.
	Future plans for renal services are to identify people at risk of kidney disease in a timely manner to optimise care, ensure kidney patients receive high quality care and to offer patients a choice of all forms of replacement therapy.
	Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in England, with over 110,000 strokes happening every year.
	The National Stroke Strategy for England (December 2007) sets 20 'quality markers' which outline the features of a good service in the assessment and treatment of strokes, and those support services needed for stroke survivors to return to as full as possible a life in their community.
	The National Stroke Strategy was launched on 5 December 2007 following extensive consultation. It provides a 10-year framework setting out key elements of an improved stroke service. At the launch of the strategy, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health (Alan Johnson) announced £105 million of central funding over three years would be spent to support implementation.

NHS: Standards

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of inequalities in the  (a) prevalence and  (b) treatment of (i) cardiac and (ii) vascular diseases between (A) the sexes, (B) geographical areas, (C) social groups, (D) economic groups and (E) ethnic groups; and what projects (1) are in place and (2) are planned to reduce such inequalities over the next decade.

Ann Keen: The Government have made tackling health inequalities a top priority, and have set a challenging target to reduce inequalities in infant mortality and life expectancy. The most comprehensive programme ever in this country is in place to address them. This draws on a wide range of data and analysis, some carried out within the Department and the national health service and some carried out by academic units.
	Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) account for about a third of the gap in life expectancy and a range of programmes are reducing deaths and closing the inequalities gap.
	In 1999 a target to reduce the mortality rate from CVD (coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and related diseases) by at least 40 per cent. in people under 75 by 2010 was established. This has been the subject of annual monitoring. Data from 2004-06 indicate that this target was met five years early and the mortality rate has now fallen by 44 per cent. when compared to the 1995-97 baseline. The gap in death rates from CVD between the most health deprived areas and the national average has narrowed by 36 per cent. over the same period, and we are on track to deliver 2010 target of at least a 40 per cent. reduction in the gap.
	With regard to cardiac disease, a major assessment of the burden of CHD informed the development of the Coronary Heart Disease National Service Framework (CHD NSF) published in March 2000. The findings of this assessment are included in the first chapter of the NSF 'Modern Standards and Service Models'. A copy has already been placed in the Library and is available online at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4094275
	A key project to address the inequalities recognised in the NSF has been a major investment programme of £735 million in facilities and equipment aimed at improving and increasing access for appropriate cardiac interventions. Full details are available in the 2007 CHD NSF progress report, 'Building for the Future'. A copy has been placed in the Library and is available online at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_083060
	Progress on the standards in the CHD NSF has been monitored annually including the impact on inequalities.
	The Department developed a National Service Framework for Diabetes in 2003 and a National Service Framework for Renal Services in 2004. In 2007, the National Stroke Strategy was published. The implementation plans for all three include a strong focus on tackling inequalities.
	A range of other initiatives to tackle inequalities is being taken forward for example, the Department has commissioned the Improvement Foundation to work in the 20 areas with the worst health status to improve the identification and treatment of people at risk of cardiovascular disease:
	www.improvementfoundation.org/theme/reducing-health-inequalities
	In addition to this the primary care trusts (PCTs) in the most deprived areas are working with the National Health Inequalities Support Team. Using the Health Inequalities Intervention Tool they are being supported in priority setting (including prioritising vascular conditions), planning and commissioning of services.
	On the prevention front, from April 2009, the NHS has been asked to start implementing a systematic and integrated vascular risk assessment and management programme—the NHS Health Check programme. This will provide a mechanism to identify earlier people who are at risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease and support them to reduce their risk through the provision of lifestyle advice and interventions, and preventative medication, for example statins. Before the implementation of this programme, the Department undertook an Equality Impact Assessment. This assessment used existing evidence that gave details of inequalities in the prevalence of vascular disease of both genders, people of transgender, by age, sexual orientation, geographical regions, socio-economic groups, ethnic groups and disability. The programme has significant potential to narrow inequalities and many PCTs are using it as a major tool in tackling health inequalities.
	The Department is also funding a number of third sector projects to deliver work focused on particular minority communities. These include nine stroke projects including the Stroke Association's 'Blood Pressure Awareness—African Caribbean and South Asian Communities', Connect's 'Provision of training and support for people with Aphasia' and the Afiya Trust's 'Stroke Awareness for Black and Minority Ethnic Communities'. For renal services, the Department is funding a project managed by the Black Organ Donor Association that will promote awareness of the need for organ donation in black and minority ethnic communities.
	With regard to longer term plans, the Department is commissioning an external review of the implementation and delivery of the CHD NSF. In addition to this, we will undertake an analysis of the trends in the burden of cardiac disease and look at how patient expectation and need, technology and working practices are likely to affect future demand and patterns of service provision. We will also continue to develop our cross-vascular work programme. We will feed our findings to the Department's National Quality Board, which has been set up to oversee the priorities for the service in the future.

Vulnerable Adults: Protection

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who  (a) monitors and  (b) investigates complaints made against adult protection multi-agency committees set up in accordance with his Department's No Secrets guidance, LAC (2000)7.

Phil Hope: Adult Protection Committees (APCs) are the partnership bodies that develop multi-agency procedures for staff in partner agencies, including local authorities, the national health service and police, to follow when responding to allegations of abuse against vulnerable adults. APCs are also known as Safeguarding Adults Boards or Partnerships.
	"No Secrets" does not prescribe arrangements for managing complaints about APCs. However, it would be good practice for each APC to agree a policy on handling complaints, including how complaints should be monitored and investigated.
	APCs are accountable to the individual partner agencies, which should satisfy themselves that complaints are handled in accordance with the agreed policy.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are to implement the Afghan Public Protection Programme in Helmand province.

Bill Rammell: The government of Afghanistan, with support from the US, are currently piloting the Afghan Public Protection Programme in Wardak province. This scheme empowers individual communities to take a greater role in providing their own security. There are no plans as yet to run a pilot program in Helmand. Only once the pilot has been vigorously evaluated will any decisions on expansion be taken.

Afghanistan: Police

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the  (a) size and  (b) capability of the Afghan National Police.

Bill Rammell: As of 30 April 2009 the size of the Afghan National Police (ANP) was estimated to be 81,584. The authorised strength (tashkil) of the ANP is 86,800. This includes an increase of 4,800 to bolster security in Kabul in the lead up to the August elections. The ANP includes the Afghan Uniformed Police (AUP), Border Police (ABP) and Civil Order Police (ANCOP). The capability of the ANP varies across the forces and continues to suffer from major problems including low levels of literacy and high levels of corruption.
	The AUP provides basic security and policing and is currently receiving US-led training under the Focused District Development Programme. ANCOP plays a niche but vital role in the counter insurgency campaign and regularly supports the Afghan national army on operations. It also backfills the AUP during its participation in training. It is judged to be a more effective force compared with the other elements of the ANP. The Afghan Border Police needs more development although it has made some progress in policing Afghanistan's airports, following training.

Afghanistan: Police

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) private security organisations,  (b) national armed forces and other official organisations and  (c) intergovernmental organisations which are providing training for the Afghan National Police; how many Afghan National Police officers in each force who have received such training from each such organisation; and how many British (i) military and (ii) civilian personnel work in each such organisation.

Bill Rammell: The major private security organisations providing training for the Afghan National Police (ANP) in Afghanistan are MPRI, Dyncorp and Xe. We do not have an estimate of the total number of private security companies delivering police training in Afghanistan. Nor do we have figures for British personnel in these organisations.
	We are unable to provide numbers of armed forces, or civilian personnel, engaged in police training and reform from other countries. The principal country delivering police training is the US. 12 Ministry of Defence Police are delivering police training and reform at the provincial level. There are 24 British armed forces delivering ANP training at the district level, with additional force protection.
	The US organisation leading on delivering police training is the Combined Security Transitional Command-Afghanistan (CSTC-A). CSTC-A has agreements with Germany, France, Italy, Norway, The Netherlands, Poland and the UK. We are unable to give total figures for those delivering training to the ANP. There are three British police officers in CSTC-A engaged on police reform. Seven British military personnel are working in CSTC-A on security sector reform, including policing.
	The main organisation delivering police training and reform at the strategic level is the EU Policing mission (EUPOL). At the beginning of May 2009 the EUPOL mission was 326-strong and included police experts from the EU, Canada, Croatia, New Zealand and Norway. We have no breakdown of numbers. We are funding 15 British civilians in EUPOL, but have no figures for additional British staff directly contracted by the EU. There are no UK military in EUPOL.
	We do not have a figure for the number of Afghan National Police officers in each force who have received training from each organisation. The US estimated that 20,000 ANP had undergone Focused District Development (FDD) training at the end of 2008. CSTC-A is planning to train a further 34,000 ANP in 2009. On 27 April 2009, over 4,700 ANP were in training.

Conflict Prevention

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1146W, on conflict prevention, what the original planned total allocation for conflict prevention was for  (a) South Asia, including Afghanistan,  (b) Africa,  (c) Europe and  (d) the Middle East under the annual tri-departmental review for 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The original planned total allocation for conflict activity in financial year (FY) 2009-10 was set out in the Comprehensive Spending Review settlement: £109 million for Conflict Prevention, £73 million for Stabilisation and an additional call on the Treasury Reserve for the Peacekeeping Budget (£374 million).
	As stated in the previous response, individual country/regional allocations were agreed through an annual tri-Departmental (Department for International Development, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence) review of planned activity across all three funds.
	Under the tri-departmental review for 2009-10, the UK's total available conflict resource for FY 2009-10 (leaving aside the cost of UK military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq) was increased to £627 million (from £556 million). The breakdown is as follows:
	£456 million has been ring fenced for assessed peacekeeping. The remaining £171 million will fund all discretionary peacekeeping, conflict prevention and stabilisation. It has been divided in the following ways:
	Africa—£43 million
	Middle East—£18 million
	Wider Europe—£33 million
	South Asia—£61.3 million
	Strategic Security International Organisations—£6.5 million
	Central Reserve—£9.2 million (to act primarily as a buffer against fluctuations in the exchange rate and increases in assessed peacekeeping or other conflict related costs).

Departmental Public Expenditure

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) of 15 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1061W, on departmental public expenditure, for what reason the administration allocation for the Baghdad post was reduced from £26,584,327 in 2007-08 to £2,673,946 in 2008-09; what categories of cost are now incurred at the post; and how much staff security at the post cost in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: Since 1 April 2008 funds for major contracts in Iraq have been managed from London as this is more cost-effective. The funds managed at Post are for local running costs.
	The total allocations for London and Posts in Iraq Directorate for 2007-08 were £39.2 million. In 2008-09 total allocations reduced to £36.1 million. The decrease in allocation was because of the renegotiation of major contracts.
	Costs incurred at Baghdad include those for security, transport, medical, catering and other life support costs.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) of 15 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1061W, on departmental public expenditure, for what reason the administration allocation for the Kirkuk post was reduced from £1,390,059 in 2007-08 to nil in 2008-09; for what reason the administration allocation for the new post at Erbil remains at £140,569; what services in Kirkuk have been reduced as a result of the change; and what recent discussions he has had with authorities in the Kurdistan region on the effect of the change on the UK's policy on northern Iraq and the Kurds.

Gillian Merron: UK based staff moved from Kirkuk to Erbil in February 2007. One locally engaged staff member remains in Kirkuk, administered from Erbil. All services provided to Kirkuk have ceased.
	Since 1 April 2008 funds for major contracts in Iraq have been managed from London as this is more cost-effective. The funds managed at Post are for local running costs.
	The total allocations for London and Posts in Iraq Directorate for financial year (FY) 2007-08 were £39.2 million. In FY 2008-09 total allocations reduced to £36.1 million. The decrease in allocation was because of the renegotiation of major contracts.
	The Government attach great value to our relationship with the Kurds both as part of bilateral relationship with Iraq and directly with the Kurdistan Region. Kurdish leaders including Kurdish President Masoud Barzani and Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani have a major role to play in continued stabilisation and security in Iraq and, through dialogue with the federal government in Baghdad and finding political solutions to the remaining nation building legislation.
	Separately, we continue to strengthen our relationship with the Kurdish Region by helping it to prosper as a stable, democratic and economically viable region through closer ties in education, trade, culture, security sector reform and supporting its efforts to establish better relations with its neighbours such as Turkey.

Gambia: Politics and Government

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the next dialogue meeting between the government of the Gambia and the EU will be held; and whether he plans to raise the case of David and Fiona Fulton at that meeting.

Gillian Merron: The next EU-Gambia meeting is scheduled for 10 June 2009. This meeting will not provide an opportunity for our high commissioner to raise the Fultons' case as he will be acting as the sole representative of the EU presidency on EU-Gambia matters. Consular staff continue to monitor the Fultons' case and make regular visits. Our high commissioner will make representations directly to the Gambian authorities where appropriate.

Pakistan: Nuclear Weapons

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on  (a) recent activity in Pakistan's nuclear programme and  (b) construction of facilities at (i) the Dera Ghazi Khan Nuclear Site and (ii) the Institute of Science and Technology; and what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on Pakistan's nuclear programme.

David Miliband: Recent reports on Pakistan's nuclear programme indicate that Pakistan is continuing to expand its nuclear weapons capabilities both in terms of warheads and their delivery systems. Dera Ghazi Khan nuclear site and the Institute of Science and Technology are both involved in Pakistan's nuclear programme. I regularly discuss this and a range of other issues with my Pakistani counterpart, most recently on 26 May 2009.

Peacekeeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1071W, on peacekeeping operations, how many UK civilian secondees there have been to each conflict prevention and peacekeeping operation in each country in 2008-09; and what the role of each was.

David Miliband: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  FY 2008-09 
			   Number 
			 Total police deployed 157 
			 Total civilians deployed 74 
			 Total overall deployed 231 
		
	
	
		
			  Mission  Number of secondees deployed to mission throughout FY08-09  Roles  u ndertaken by UK  s econdees 
			 EUPol Afghanistan 12 police Deputy Head of Mission 
			   CID Adviser 
			   Mentor State Office of Criminal Investigation 
			   Mentor at Central Level 
			   Training Adviser 
			   Mentor Criminal Investigation Department MoI 
			   Head of Kabul City Police Project Team 
			   Head of Mentors 
			   Operations Support Officer 
			   Mentor Deputy Minister of Interior 
			  1 civilian Mentor of Attorney General's Office 
			
			 Combined Strategy Transition Command - Afghanistan 3 police (2 for 1 role) Senior Adviser on Afghan Police Development to the Commanding General 
			   National Police Development Manager 
			
			 EUPM Bosnia 14 police + 1 civilian Chief Adviser to SIPA 
			   Human Resource Management Adviser 
			   Crime Adviser, Regional Office 
			   SIPA Adviser 
			   Chief Adviser to Regional Office 
			   Anti-Organised Crime Adviser 
			   Crime Adviser to SIPA 
			   Anti-Organised Crime Unit Co-ordinator 
			   SIPA Adviser, HQ 
			   Border Police Adviser 
			   Adviser to Regional Office 
			   Adviser to Field Office 
			   Operational Adviser SIPA 
			   Senior Immigration Adviser 
			   Chief of the Anti-Organised Crime Department 
			
			 EUPol COPPS Palestine 4 police (2 for 1 role) Projects Officer 
			   Mission Security Officer 
			   Staff & Liaison Officer 
			
			 CPCC Brussels 2 police CPCC Police Export 
			   DGE IX - External Relations 
			  1 civilian Logistics Expert 
			
			 CivPol Iraq 25 police UK Chief Police Adviser - Iraq 
			   Team Support Manager 
			   SPA Tactical 
			   MND(SE) Liaison - ISF Branch 
			   Internal Affairs 
			   Leadership Department 
			   Higher Institute Development 
			   CPATT-Dep.Dir.Trg. Standards 
			   MOI / CPATT Strategic Policing Adviser 
			   Rol - Investigator 
			   Training Adviser 
			   MOI / HWG Strategic Policing Adviser 
			   Strategic Planning Adviser 
			
			 EU JUSTLEX Brussels 4 civilians Chief of Staff 
			   Course Coordinator Penitentiary 
			   Police Course Coordinator 
			   Mission Security Officer 
			
			 EULEX Kosovo 83 police Intelligence Unit Officer 
			   Intelligence Unit Officer 
			   Intelligence Unit Officer 
			   Chief Adviser to KPS admin 
			   Shift Leader Monitor 
			   D/Director Special Ops 
			   Chief SPU Ops Planning 
			   Oversight Investigations 
			   Witness Protection 
			   Commander CPU 
			   Station Commander Liaison Officer(SCLO) 
			   Surveillance 
			   Director of Crime 
			   Regional Ops 
			   Shift Leader Monitor 
			   FIC Analyst 
			   Adviser to Head of KPS Mandatory Training 
			   Chief of CTU 
			   Intelligence unit officer 
			   Border, Gate 31 
			   Head of CIU 
			   Ops Planning 
			   Intelligence unit officer 
			   Gate 31 Monitor 
			   Staff Officer to Police Commissioner 
			   Team Leader Organised Crime (IPU) 
			   DPC,KPS Admin 
			   Exec Officer, Operations 
			   Head of Intelligence IPU 
			   Enhancement Force 
			   Gate Cdr Gate 31 
			   Counter Terrorist Unit 
			   Deputy Reg Cdr/Investigations Monitor. 
			   TUM Mitro Regional Traffic Unit 
			   War Crimes Investigator 
			   Deputy head of CIU 
			   Gate 31 Monitor 
			   Adviser to support and service selection/ Dir org crime 
			   War Crimes Investigator 
			   Analyst CIU 
			   Intelligence Analyst 
			   Adviser to KPS OPS- Station 
			   Adviser to interethnic crime investigations 
			   Chief police station Adviser 
			   Surveillance investigations officer 
			   Shift Leader gates 1/31 
			   Station Police officer 
			   Adviser to KPS ROSU 
			   Adviser to the KPS Regional Admin and support 
			   Chief Adviser to KPS admin 
			   Adviser to the KPS chief of staff 
			   Adviser to KPS OPS- station 
			   Coordination officer( Investigation/intelligence/general policing) 
			   Adviser to Operational planning unit 
			   Adviser to investigations-Border police 
			   Adviser to KPS regional chief of admin and support 
			   Adviser to police investigations-mobile patrol-station 
			   Adviser to KPS ops dept station 
			   Adviser to inter ethnic crime investigations 
			   Adviser to Ops dept station 
			   Public order officer 
			   Station Police officer 
			   Surveillance investigations officer 
			   Adviser to KPS Ops 
			   Investigator of the FIU 
			   Adviser to KPS K9 unit 
			   Intelligence officer, SLU, OIC 
			   Border monitor gate 1 and 31 
			   Station Police officer 
			   Community policing Adviser 
			   Adviser to KPS OPS dept Stn 
			   OCI analyst 
			   Investigator to FIU 
			   WSU safe place Dep team leader 
			   Adviser to regional crime squad 
			   Station Police officer 
			   Adviser to immigration unit Pristina airport 
			   Station Police officer 
			   Station Police officer 
			   OIC desk officer/ office manager 
			   Adviser to KPS Ops station 
			   Station Police officer 
			   WSU safe place security officer 
			  18 civilians Deputy Chief Programme Manager 
			   Senior Security Information Analyst 
			   Deputy Head of EULEX Mission 
			   Anti-Corruption Expert 
			   Chief Reporting Officer 
			   Policy Officer 
			   Legal Adviser 
			   Public Outreach Officer 
			   Legal Officer - District Court 
			   Police Liaison Officer (based in Brussels) 
			   Court Recorder 
			   Court Recorder 
			   Criminal Judge, District Court Level 
			   Programme Manager 
			   Customs Law Enforcement Adviser 
			   Court Recorder 
			   Secretary to the Head of Mission 
			   Prosecutor 
			
			 ICO KOSOVO 3 civilians Head of the Press and Public Information Unit/Director of Communications 
			   Field Presence Coordinator 
			   Head of the ICO Presence in Mitrovica 
			
			 EUPT KOSOVO 1 civilian Political Adviser 
			
			 EUSR KOSOVO - based in Brussels 1 civilian EU Coordinator/Political Adviser to the European Union Special Representative 
			
			 UNAMID SUDAN 3 police Training coordinator 
			   Policing Adviser 
			   Training Adviser 
			
			 SUDAN AMIS 1 civilian UN Military Observer 
			
			 EUMM Georgia 10 police Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			  12 civilians Chief of Security 
			   Chief Press and Media 
			   Deputy Head Operations/Military Adviser 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			   Monitor 
			
			 EUBAM RAFAH 1 police Deputy Chief of operations 
			  1 civilian Reporting and Analysis Officer 
			
			 EUSEC DRCongo 1 civilian Head of Admin and Logistic Cell 
			
			 EUBAM MOLDOVA 2 civilian Deputy Head of Field Office 
			   Border Guard Officer 
			
			 EU South Caucasus based in Brussels 1 civilian Political Adviser 
			
			 OSCE Bosnia 2 civilians Senior Adviser, Education 
			   Director of Democratisation 
			
			 OSCE Austria 1 civilian Senior Border Adviser 
			
			 OSCE Serbia 3 civilians Municipal Coordinator, Pol Affairs 
			   Community Policing Adviser 
			   Head of Strategic Development 
			
			 OSCE Macedonia 5 civilians Head of Media Development 
			   Field Station Coordinator, Tetevo 
			   Head of Public Admin Reform 
			   Police Training 
			   Head of Police Development 
			
			 OSCE Kosovo 2 civilians Public Safety Trainer (Police) 
			   Head of OSCE Field Office 
			
			 OSCE Albania 4 civilians Deputy Head of Presence 
			   Economic and Environmental Affairs Officer 
			   Political Officer 
			   Field Station Officer 
			
			 OSCE Georgia 3 civilians Spokesperson Press & Public Affairs 
			   Project Co-ordinator 
			   Senior Military Adviser 
			
			 OSCE Nagorno Karabakh 1 civilian Field Assistant 
			
			 OSCE Warsaw 2 civilians Legal Adviser 
			   Rule of Law Officer 
			
			 OSCE Moldova 1 civilian Political-Military Officer 
			
			 OSCE Tajikistan 1 civilian Field Office, Kulyab 
			
			 OSCE Kyrgyzstan 1 civilian Head of Mission

Sudan: Human Rights

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Sudan.

Gillian Merron: The human rights situation in Sudan is of grave and ongoing concern. Arbitrary arrests and detention, sexual violence against women, large scale recruitment and use of children in armed forces and general impunity for such violations, together with restrictions that unduly limit the freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of movement, are our most serious concerns.
	The civilian population is suffering gravely from the protracted conflict in Darfur. The recent expulsion of international humanitarian aid workers exacerbates the already precarious situation for civilians.
	The serious human rights situation on the ground warrants maintained international human rights focus on Sudan, in particular as the country is preparing for national elections to be held next year, as part of the crucial implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

Tibet

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when officials from the British Embassy in Beijing next plan to visit Tibet.

Bill Rammell: Officials from our embassy in Beijing were able to visit the Tibet Autonomous Region in May 2009. They met representatives of the regional government, Lhasa Municipal government, the Regional People's Congress, and representatives of non-governmental organisations working there. They were also able to observe daily life and visit a monastery to assess the situation there. I intend to visit Tibet in shortly.

Treaty of Rome

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost to the EU budget was of events marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome; what such events took place in the UK; and at what cost.

Caroline Flint: This information is not held by the Government. Requests for this information should be made to the UK Representations of the European Commission and the European Parliament.
	On events in the UK, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman on 19 April 2007,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column WA91, which provided information on the Government's activities to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provision his Department has made for interpretation services for foreign national prisoners in 2008 and 2009 to date; and with reference to the answer of 10 January 2008,  Official Report, column 765W, on prisoners: foreigners, what expenditure his Department has incurred on the provision of such services in each month since January 2008.

Paul Goggins: In November 2007, the Northern Ireland Prison Service awarded contracts for face to face interpreting and written translation for foreign national prisoners. A telephone interpreting service is also available.
	The following table shows the expenditure on language services in each month since January 2008:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Written translation  Face to face interpreting  Telephone interpreting  Total 
			  2008 
			 January 2,488.30 — — 2,488.30 
			 February — — — — 
			 March 3,872.90 — 10.58 3,883.48 
			 April 9,222.41 — — 9,222.41 
			 May 4,455.50 931.82 — 5,387.32 
			 June 6,438.25 — — 6,438.25 
			 July 247.22 1,052.72 — 1,299.94 
			 August 1,781.08 — — 1,781.08 
			 September 2,977.81 992.74 — 3,970.55 
			 October 661.98 3,207.77 — 3,869.75 
			 November 6,671.79 4,813.91 — 11,485.70 
			 December 330.00 5,279.14 — 5,609.14 
			  
			  2009 
			 January 250.00 — 373.64 623.64 
			 February — 2,173.31 695.18 2,868.49 
			 March 196.35 80.38 500.25 776.98 
			 April 3,636.68 — 683.10 4,319.78 
			 May — 9,141.06 622.73 9,763.79 
			  
			 Total 43,230.27 27,672.85 2,885.48 73,788.60

Arrest Warrants

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what implications there are for his Department of proposed changes under Council Framework Decision 2009/299/JHA to trial absences before the issue of a European Arrest Warrant.

Maria Eagle: The UK welcomes this framework decision, since it will ensure that there is consistency and clarity throughout Europe regarding the circumstances in which a European arrest warrant should be executed, where the person has been tried in their absence. It will not require us to change our law regarding when a trial may proceed in a person's absence. In operational terms, when it has come into force we will need to ensure that our authorities are using the revised European arrest warrant form. This will be picked up in the implementation phase of the framework decision when this Department will work alongside colleagues in the Home Office and others, including the judiciary and devolved administrations on detailed aspects of implementation.
	I do not believe that the Council framework decision on trials in absentia will have significant implications for my Department. It will ensure that our authorities can be satisfied that a person is only being sent back to another MS following a trial in their absence in appropriate circumstances.

Bail Accommodation and Support Service: Billericay

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans ClearSprings Management Ltd has to operate a Bail Accommodation and Support Service property in Billericay constituency.

David Hanson: The East of England Director of Offender Management has identified a need for a further three bed spaces for this service in Essex to allow defendants and offenders on Home Detention Curfew requiring accommodation in Essex to return to their home area. Should ClearSprings acquire a property for this service in his constituency of Billericay I will write and advise him.

Departmental Art Works

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on artwork since November 2008.

Jack Straw: Since November 2008 there has been no expenditure on artwork incurred by the Ministry of Justice HQ, the Office of the Public Guardian, nor the National Offender Management Service.
	Artwork expenditure is not a separately identifiable category for HM Courts Service and the Tribunal's Service. However, neither agency has commissioned any new artwork since November 2008.

Prisoners: Self-harm

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many  (a) British and  (b) foreign national prisoners committed acts of self-harm in prison in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of self-harm incidents in prisons in England and Wales were committed by  (a) foreign national prisoners and  (b) foreign national prisoners held beyond the expiration of their sentence in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: The National Offender Management Service, (NOMS), has a broad, integrated and evidence-based prisoner suicide prevention and self-harm management strategy that seeks to reduce the distress of all those in prison. This encompasses a wide spectrum of Prison and Department of Health work around such issues as mental health, substance misuse and resettlement. Any prisoner identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm is cared for using the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) procedures. A prisoner-focused care planning system for those at risk, which, has helped prisons manage self-harm. Most self-harm is not directly life threatening, but nevertheless can be extremely distressing for those who have to deal with it. There are no easy answers to preventing self-harming behaviour but we remain committed to finding ways to manage it.
	Information on the total numbers of self-harm incidents is not available for the full time period requested (see table note). The following table details the estimated number of individuals who self-harmed from 2004 by type of nationality.
	
		
			  Nationality type  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 EEA—foreign nationals 117 147 163 196 187 
			 Non-EEA—foreign nationals 351 348 413 428 418 
			 UK nationals 4,580 4,982 5,062 5,178 5,458 
			 Unknown 28 22 21 26 25 
		
	
	We do not specifically record whether foreign national prisoners died beyond the date that their sentence was due to expire. The numbers and proportions of self-harm incidents committed by foreign national prisoners in each of the last five years are detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  Nationality type  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			   No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  % 
			 EEA—foreign nationals 352 2 373 2 397 2 664 3 409 2 
			 Non-EEA—foreign nationals 587 3 584 3 796 4 780 4 810 4 
			 Unknown 52 0 47 0 80 0 65 0 58 0 
			 No. = incidents  Notes: 1. The NOMS incident reporting system processes high volumes of data which are constantly being updated. A new system for recording self-harm was introduced in December 2002 and as a result recording improved throughout 2003. Numbers since 2004 are, therefore, not comparable with those collected previously. 2. Figures are approximate numbers of individuals, based on incidents of self-harm where the prisoner number was recorded. 3. The data are drawn from the prison administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Nevertheless, the system provides a sensible indication of the numbers of incidents and individuals who self-harm but the numbers should not be treated as absolute. 4. Self-harm incidents are as reported on the NOMS incident reporting system. Due to transition between computer systems the numbers currently exclude a small proportion collected on the new NOMIS system..

Prisons: Dagenham

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of assessing bids for the construction contract for Beam Park West Prison.

Jack Straw: It is intended that the new prison at Beam Park West will be designed built and operated by the private or third sector. Therefore the evaluation of bidders' proposals will include evaluation of proposals for both the construction of the prison and the operation of the prison. The administrative costs to manage the whole procurement process, including the evaluation of bids, are included in the overall budget estimate for the new prisons but have not been broken out specifically into separate evaluation elements.

Prisons: Greater London

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what  (a) meetings he has held with and  (b) representations he has received from the Mayor of London on possible sites for new prisons within London.

Jack Straw: As part of an exercise to identify potential sites for a prison in London, officials from the Ministry of Justice met the current mayor in mid-2008 to discuss possible prison sites. Prior to this, a meeting was held in autumn 2007 with the former mayor.
	In addition, I spoke to the Mayor on 27 April 2009, the day of announcement of the site at Beam Park West to Parliament.

Probation Officers

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps are being taken to ensure that sufficient probation officers are trained over the next two years.

David Hanson: Five hundred and fifty probation officers graduate from their diploma course in autumn 2009 and 300 will graduate in autumn 2010. This is sufficient to meet expected vacancies for probation officers over the next two years. I intend to publish shortly a consultation on a new framework for qualifications; training and career progression for probation practitioners which will be in place from April 2010.

Repossession Orders: Reading Berkshire

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many court orders have been issued for the repossession of homes in Reading East constituency in each month of the last 10 years.

Bridget Prentice: Figures for Reading, East constituency are not available. However, the tables show the number of mortgage and landlord possession orders made in Reading county court for each month from 1999.
	These figures do not indicate how many homes have actually been repossessed. Repossessions can occur without a court order being made while not all court orders result in repossession.
	The civil procedure rules state that all claims for the repossession of land must be commenced in the district in which the land is situated. However, geographical boundaries of county courts may not necessarily be consistent with other administrative or constituency boundaries. Repossession orders made at Reading county court may therefore relate to properties in other constituencies besides Reading, East constituency.
	The Ministry of Justice has published a consultation note on proposed changes in the National Statistics on mortgage and landlord possession actions in the county courts of England and Wales. One of the proposed changes is to publish these statistics by local authority area, based on the physical locations of the properties which are the subject of the possession actions, as part of the regular statistical publication from 2009 quarter 2.
	Further information can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/stats-mort-landlord-note.pdf
	
		
			  Number of mortgage( 1 ) possession orders made( 2,3)  in Reading county court by each month, 1999-2009 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 4) 
			 January 48 6 31 18 23 3 41 85 56 46 41 
			 February 28 32 7 22 12 66 19 43 32 56 (5)30 
			 March 32 16 27 17 27 38 58 51 42 55 (5)30 
			 April 20 25 20 37 8 25 37 46 39 63 — 
			 May 13 28 29 8 55 12 37 37 50 69 — 
			 June 25 38 21 20 25 24 46 26 41 50 — 
			 July 13 9 34 27 24 38 42 43 51 67 — 
			 August 10 16 34 9 2 38 79 56 42 64 — 
			 September 39 34 27 30 70 34 71 84 60 78 — 
			 October 0 42 0 24 29 16 39 40 44 67 — 
			 November 38 15 11 11 2 36 46 64 39 43 — 
			 December 29 20 13 14 59 49 19 53 28 42 — 
			 Total 295 281 254 237 336 379 534 628 524 700 41 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of landlord( 6)  possession orders made( 2,3)  in Reading county court by each month, 1999-2009 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  20Q3  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009( 4) 
			 January 51 77 71 74 46 58 70 79 76 77 67 
			 February 61 54 44 37 41 50 47 66 67 70 80 
			 March 55 71 66 56 57 64 82 53 68 55 96 
			 April 52 77 45 53 68 51 61 49 38 97 — 
			 May 64 92 39 58 91 49 54 51 47 51 — 
			 June 66 86 33 40 35 51 28 37 67 62 — 
			 July 67 77 64 89 49 34 94 59 56 70 — 
			 August 52 69 32 54 65 71 44 70 63 35 — 
			 September 80 106 57 76 85 71 42 63 64 70 — 
			 October 26 95 47 57 40 39 56 58 66 77 — 
			 November 113 48 62 68 47 44 65 61 60 54 — 
			 December 53 42 31 49 53 74 59 45 57 75 — 
			 Total 740 894 591 711 677 656 702 691 729 793 243 
			 (1) Includes all types of mortgage lenders. (2) The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction. (3) Includes outright and suspended orders, the latter being where the court grants the claimant possession but suspends the operation of the order. Provided the defendant complies with the terms of suspension, which usually require the defendant to pay the current mortgage or rent instalments plus some of the accrued arrears, the possession order cannot be enforced. (4) Figures for the latest quarter (January-March 2009) are provisional. And figures for quarter 2 (April-June) are yet to be released by Ministry of Justice as National Statistics. (5) The Mortgage Pre Action Protocol for possession claims relating to mortgage or home purchase arrears was introduced on 19 November 2008. Its introduction has coincided with a substantial fall in the number of new mortgage possession claims in 2008 quarter 4 and subsequently In the number of mortgage possession orders in 2009 quarter 1. (6 )The landlord data include all types of landlords whether social or private sector, and cover orders made using both the standard and accelerated possession procedures. The accelerated procedure is used by landlords in relation to shorthold tenancies, when the fixed period of tenancy has come to an end. It enables orders to be made by the court solely on the basis of written evidence and without calling the parties to hearings.  Source: Ministry of Justice

Young Offenders

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persistent young offenders there are in each criminal justice area.

Jack Straw: A persistent young offender (PYO) is a young person aged 10 to 17 who has been sentenced guilty by any criminal court in the UK on three or more separate occasions for one or more recordable offence, and within three years of the last sentencing occasion is subsequently arrested or has an information laid against them for a further recordable offence.
	This definition is designed to measure the speed and efficiency of the youth justice system; through monitoring the pledge to halve the average time from arrest to sentence for dealing with PYOs in England and Wales from 142 days in 1996 to 71 days. However, the definition is not designed to provide a reliable measure of the level of youth offending over time, and it will give a misleading picture of the true trend if used for this purpose.
	The above pledge was first met over a full calendar year in 2002 and has been met in all but one calendar year since then. Youth sentencing is therefore now more timely, and for repeat offenders more frequent, than it used to be prior to 1997. As the PYO definition relies on repeat sentencing occasions, a side-effect of the Government's success in bringing much swifter justice to young repeat offenders is that more of them end up being defined as PYOs.
	The table shows the number of individual PYOs sentenced in 2008, for each police force area.
	On 10 December 2008,  Official Report, columns 58-59WS, I announced in a written ministerial statement that the PYO pledge would be dropped with effect from the end of 2008. This is therefore the last year for which PYO statistics will be published and compiled.
	
		
			  Number of persistent young offenders (PYOs) sentenced in 2008, by police force area 
			  Police force area  Number of persistent young offenders 
			 Avon and Somerset 394 
			 Bedfordshire 110 
			 Cambridgeshire 191 
			 Cheshire 242 
			 Cleveland 304 
			 Cumbria 240 
			 Derbyshire 296 
			 Devon and Cornwall 335 
			 Dorset 143 
			 Durham 259 
			 Dyfed-Powys 134 
			 Essex 397 
			 Gloucestershire 164 
			 Greater Manchester 1,158 
			 Gwent 173 
			 Hampshire 676 
			 Hertfordshire 188 
			 Humberside 365 
			 Kent 354 
			 Lancashire 617 
			 Leicestershire 232 
			 Lincolnshire 106 
			 Merseyside 471 
			 Metropolitan 1,849 
			 Norfolk 157 
			 North Wales 203 
			 North Yorkshire 250 
			 Northamptonshire 160 
			 Northumbria 826 
			 Nottinghamshire 331 
			 South Wales 355 
			 South Yorkshire 388 
			 Staffordshire 268 
			 Suffolk 208 
			 Surrey 120 
			 Sussex 362 
			 Thames Valley 428 
			 Warwickshire 117 
			 West Mercia 312 
			 West Midlands 715 
			 West Yorkshire 875 
			 Wiltshire 111 
			   
			 England and Wales(1) 15,819 
			 (1) The England and Wales total figure includes British Transport Police.

Climate Change

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of his Department's potential gross  (a) costs and  (b) savings arising from its climate change adaptation measures in the next three years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The high level review, undertaken by the Met Office and delivered in January 2008, of the impacts of climate on the polices and operations of DWP did not seek to identify any costs or savings associated with adaptation. The more detailed review, which will be commissioned when the 2009 UK Climate Impact Projections are published, will further explore the key business, customer and operational issues and begin to estimate the costs and savings associated with climate change and adaptation.

Departmental Hotels

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to review the level of expenditure by staff of his Department on hotel accommodation.

Kitty Ussher: The Department's Commercial Directorate review the level of expenditure on hotel accommodation on a monthly basis to ensure best value is being obtained from its contractual arrangements.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) BlackBerry devices and  (b) mobile telephones have been lost by (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in his Department in each year since 2005.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information is not available in the format requested, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The information that is available is given in the following table. This records items reported as lost or stolen.
	
		
			   BlackBerry devices  Mobile telephones 
			 2005 0 31 
			 2006 0 15 
			 2007 19 14 
			 2008 16 35 
		
	
	Two of the BlackBerry devices reported in 2007 were lost by Ministers. None have been reported as lost by or stolen from, Ministers since then.

Disability Living Allowance

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have claimed disability living allowance in circumstances where the main disabling condition was recorded as obesity in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people have received benefits as a result of obesity in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many people have received  (a) jobseeker's allowance and  (b) income support as a result of obesity in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: Having a condition of obesity does not confer entitlement to any benefit.
	It is important to note that, where someone has more than one diagnosis or disabling condition, only the predominant one is currently recorded. In light of this, the information provided cannot be taken as a robust indication of the underlying condition that results in entitlement to incapacity benefits.
	Entitlement to disability living allowance is not dependent on a diagnosis or condition but relies instead on the care and/or mobility needs arising. In the case of someone with obesity, people with this recorded diagnosis may have other underlying physical or mental complications that have caused/exacerbated their obesity.
	Information about the number of people receiving disability living allowance where the main disabling condition is recorded as obesity is not collated centrally at this level of detail.
	For a person to qualify for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, they have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work which is called the personal capability assessment. Entitlement for a customer claiming incapacity benefit on the grounds of obesity would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities in the personal capability assessment.
	The available information for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance is in the table. Some of those people who claim incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance will also claim income support on grounds of incapacity.
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claimants with the medical condition of obesity in Great Britain 
			  As at August each year  All  Obesity 
			 2004 2,817,010 1,780 
			 2005 2,767,740 1,840 
			 2006 2,724,980 1,910 
			 2007 2,683,160 2,010 
			 2008 2,632,000 2,130 
			  Notes: 1. Data are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Data are for GB and abroad. 3. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. 4. To qualify for incapacity benefit/severe disablement Allowance, claimants have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work which is called the personal capability assessment. Therefore, the medical condition recorded on the incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claim form does not itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefits. 5. People claiming incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance may also qualify for income support on grounds of incapacity. 6. From 27 October 2008, employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support for new claims only. information about employment and support allowance is not yet available.  Source: Department for work and Pensions Information Directorate 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. 
		
	
	To qualify for jobseeker's allowance, unemployed people must be available for and actively seeking work. They are also required to enter into a jobseeker's agreement in which they agree the steps they will take to improve their chances of finding employment. Jobseekers generally have to be available immediately for any work and for a minimum of 40 hours each week. Where a person is unable to undertake any work, due to ill health, they will not be entitled to JSA and should claim an alternative benefit.

Employment Schemes

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which staff in  (a) his Department and ( b) its agencies are responsible for administering the employers' golden hello scheme announced by his Department on 12 January 2009.

Tony McNulty: Jobcentre Plus employer engagement staff, personal advisers and centralised payment processing teams will be responsible for administering the recruitment subsidy. All financial transactions relating to the recruitment subsidy to employers will be the responsibility of the Department of Work and Pensions' Shared Services.

Employment Services: Lone Parents

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent steps his Department has taken to assist single parents seeking employment during the economic downturn.

Kitty Ussher: From 6 April, lone parents on jobseeker's allowance for six months or more can access an expanded range of work, training and volunteering opportunities. This includes incentives of up to £2,500 for employers to recruit and train unemployed people, consisting of a recruitment subsidy worth £1,000 and depending on location, access to in-work training worth a further £1,500. Qualifying jobseekers who wish to become self employed also have access to practical advice and financial support to start a business.
	Longer-term jobseekers will receive help from the flexible new deal which will provide job-search support tailored to the specific needs of the individual and address related barriers to employment. The flexible new deal will be introduced in phase one areas from October 2009.
	Additionally, all single parents in receipt of working-age benefits continue to have immediate access to the new deal for lone parents. This voluntary programme provides access to a specialist personal adviser, in-work benefit advice and a range of other assistance.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Interviews

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the average waiting time was for first jobseeker interviews for a claimant for Jobseeker's Allowance in each of the smallest geographical areas for which information is available in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the average waiting time was for first jobseeker interviews for a claim for jobseeker's allowance in the latest period for which information is available.

Tony McNulty: Jobcentre Plus does not collect the average waiting time. The available information on the percentage of new jobseeker interviews booked within three days from the date the customer first contacts us is in the table. The data show performance for the operational year ending March 2009 down to district level, the smallest geographical area available.
	
		
			  New jobseeker interviews booked within three days  March 2009 YTD  (percentage) 
			 Derbyshire 69.7 
			 Leicestershire and Northamptonshire 71.5 
			 Lincolnshire and Rutland 71.5 
			 Nottinghamshire 64.8 
			  East Midlands 69.5 
			   
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 80.9 
			 Cambridgeshire and Suffolk 73.0 
			 Essex 80.2 
			 Norfolk 72.9 
			  East of England 77.3 
			   
			 Central London 80.7 
			 City and East London 81.8 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth 74.0 
			 North and North East London 84.8 
			 South London 79.6 
			 West London 80.3 
			  London 80.5 
			   
			 Northumbria 73.7 
			 South Tyne and Wear Valley 73.1 
			 Tees Valley 71.9 
			  North East 73.0 
			   
			 Cheshire and Warrington 75.3 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 69.6 
			 Greater Manchester Central 76.0 
			 Greater Manchester East and West 69.6 
			 Merseyside 76.2 
			  North West 72.8 
			   
			 Ayr, Dumfries and Galloway 86.4 
			 Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders 82.6 
			 Forth Valley and Fife 86.6 
			 Glasgow 85.3 
			 Highlands, Islands and Clyde 81.4 
			 Lanarkshire 88.0 
			  Office for Scotland 84.9 
			   
			 North and Mid Wales 82.5 
			 South East Wales 83.9 
			 South Wales Valleys 77.0 
			 South West Wales 84.2 
			  Office for Wales 81.7 
			   
			 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire 74.9 
			 Hampshire 75.8 
			 Kent 62.6 
			 Surrey and Sussex 64.0 
			  South East 68.8 
			   
			 Devon and Cornwall 68.2 
			 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 59.3 
			 Somerset and Dorset 73.3 
			 West of England 70.0 
			  South West 67.6 
			   
			 Birmingham and Solihull 65.5 
			 Black Country 72.6 
			 Coventry and Warwickshire 60.3 
			 Staffordshire 59.1 
			 The Marches 54.4 
			  West Midlands 63.7 
			   
			 North and East Yorkshire and Humber 79.9 
			 South Yorkshire 69.9 
			 West Yorkshire 75.2 
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 75.3 
			   
			 National 74.1 
			  Source: Jobcentre Plus

Poverty: Children

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what projection his Department has made of the level of  (a) absolute and  (b) relative child poverty in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12; and what information his Department holds on the geographical distribution of the increase since 2006-07 in the number of (A) children and (B) adults of working age living in relative poverty after housing costs announced on 7 May 2009.

Kitty Ussher: The information requested is as follows:
	 Child poverty projections
	The Government do not publish official projections of child poverty into the future due to the uncertainty surrounding the assumptions made around future demography, employment and average earnings, as well as the uprating of tax credits and benefits.
	 The geogr aphical distribution of poverty
	This information can be found in the latest release of Households Below Average Income which is available on the DWP website and in the Library. In this, disaggregation by geographical regions is presented as three-year averages. This presentation has been used as single-year regional estimates are considered too volatile. The most recent available data available since 2006/07 are in the following tables.
	
		
			  Risk of living in relative (60 per cent. of median) low income poverty (AHC) for children by region and country (per cent.) three-year average 
			  Region/country  2004-05 to 2006-07  2005-06 to 2007-08 
			 England 30 31 
			
			 North East 33 33 
			 North West 31 34 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 29 30 
			 East Midlands 29 30 
			 West Midlands 33 35 
			 East of England 25 26 
			 London 41 39 
			 South East 25 26 
			 South West 26 27 
			
			 Scotland 25 24 
			 Wales 29 32 
			 Northern Ireland 26 26 
		
	
	
		
			  Risk of living in relative (60 percent of median) low income poverty (AHC) for Working age adults by region and country (percent) 3 year average 
			  Region/country  2004-05 to 2006-07  2005-06 to 2007-08 
			 England 20 21 
			
			 North East 22 23 
			 North West 21 22 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 20 21 
			 East Midlands 20 20 
			 West Midlands 22 23 
			 East of England 17 18 
			 London 24 24 
			 South East 16 17 
			 South West 18 18 
			
			 Scotland 18 19 
			 Wales 20 23 
			 Northern Ireland 18 18

Welfare Reform Bill

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on the provision of childcare to enable single parents to carry out work-related activity under the provisions of the Welfare Reform Bill 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: The Department works closely with the Department for Children, Schools and Families to ensure the successful delivery of the National Childcare Strategy for England, which aims to ensure that there is sufficient child care available to meet the needs of working families and to support parents who are undertaking work related activities. Key to this are the provisions in the Childcare Act 2006, which includes a duty on local authorities to secure sufficient child care to ensure they meet the need of their local communities, in particular for those on low incomes and who have disabled children.

Police: Official Visits

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations she has visited on official business in the last 12 months.

Vernon Coaker: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary regularly goes out to visit front line police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), both in police stations and as part of neighbourhood policing visits.
	For example, in February this year my right hon. Friend visited a police station in Southampton, and has met front line police officers and PSCOs in their communities on many occasions in the last 12 months, including undertaking visits to Basildon, West Yorkshire, Luton, Northampton, South Yorkshire and Cardiff.

Non-Domestic Rates: Greater London

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 8 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 453-54W, on non-domestic rates: Greater London, what the title of the substantive Valuation Office Agency document was from which the section on the sub-location concept was taken.

John Healey: The title of the document is: Review of sub location codes.

Non-Domestic Rates: Religious Buildings

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 7 May 2009,  Official Report, column 382W, on the Church of Scientology, what  (a) criteria and  (b) methodology the Valuation Office Agency uses to determine whether a faith community is deemed to be eligible for a place of worship business rate exemption.

John Healey: Schedule 5 para. 11(1) to the Local Government Act 1988 provides the criteria for exemption from non-domestic rating for places of public religious worship. Premises occupied by a faith community will be exempt providing:
	It is a place of religious worship
	The worship is public
	The premises are certified as a place of religious worship by the Registrar General or belong to the Church of England or the Church in Wales.
	Valuation officers' methodology is to follow the above criteria.